Untold Stories
by Ser-A-Man
Summary: A compilation of events that may have occured during Jess and Leslie's time together, before the tragic incident. Please R&R! :)
1. Chapter 1

(A/N): Hello, readers. Ser-A-Man here! :) This here's my first BtT fanfic. "Untold Stories" is a compilation (not exactly in chronological order) of made-up events that occur before Leslie died. :( After watching the 2007 film a few weeks ago, I have been inspired to write my very first story about it. Well, enjoy folks!

**DISCLAIMER: THE BOOK AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO KATHERINE PATERSON. THE 2007 FILM BELONGS TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES AND WALDEN MEDIA. MUSIC AND LYRICS OF "My Favorite Things" BY RICHARD ROGERS AND OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II RESPECTIVELY.**

* * *

Untold Stories Ch. 1: Favorite Things

"Leslie! Leslie!" Jess kept calling her in the forest for the first fifteen minutes.

_Where the heck did she go_, he wondered. _She usually shows up early on the weekends, especially Saturdays_. Strange indeed for him. He was about to give up on searching for her.

Another fifteen minutes have passed. Jess finally decided to go back home. _Maybe she's busy somewhere else right now_, he thought with a slight chuckle.

"That's just impossible," he laughed at his assumption as he swung back to the other side of the roaring river filled by rain water and covered with dead leaves. The rope seemed shorter and shorter each time he spends most his days going to Terabithia with her.

* * *

He quickly ran back to his house. His usual Saturday mood became blue by his father's stern, furious look on him.

"You never fail to disappoint me, don't you Jess?"

Jess took one step backwards, confused, "What are you talking about? If-if it's about my chores, I've already done everything you asked, an-and-"

"What about the mess you left in our greenhouse? There're still some dead leaves by my pest cage."

"But I told you! I already-" In a few seconds, Jess figured out why. "May Belle!"

"Don't you think you've blamed your little sister for what she _didn't _do?" Jack crossed his arms.

"I'm telling you the truth, Dad! You just don't-" Jess simply stopped, his face staring at his father's death glare. He then sighed, "…all right. I'll clean the mess up." He went straight to work without breakfast, save by the blood-red apple he got as a "Monthi-versary" gift from Leslie yesterday.

* * *

_This isn't exactly the way I planned on spending my Saturday_. He placed his sweaty hands on his knees, exhausted.

"Jess!" The one cry he loathed the most enters his ears.

"Coming!"

* * *

Jess fell flat, face first in the dirt, outside the house. He unconsciously maintained this place for five minutes.

"JESS! JESS!" Another annoying sound came to him. It was May Belle's.

"What now?"

She gave her brother a sad, puppy face. "I'm sorry I got you into trouble. I only wanted you to spend some time with me. I know you have a girlfriend and-"

Jess stood up, "I told you a hundred times that she is _not _my girlfriend!"

"I don't believe you!" May Belle giggled.

"It's true!"

"No, it's not!"

"It is! Listen. I didn't want to ruin the surprise, but, last night, I let Leslie sneak into our room to give you three dolls for your tea party or something. She-"

Hearing the words "new dolls" made his sister dash into their room without saying anything else. Jess almost couldn't resist laughing very hard. _I can't believe she fell for it! _He turned around and left the house with his hands tightly covering his mouth.

_Maybe she's still in her house._

* * *

Jess rang the Burke's doorbell, his legs still wobbling because of fatigue. There was no answer. After a while, he decided to ring the doorbell again, but was interrupted by Leslie's opening of the door.

"Hi Jess!" Finally, music to his ears. "Why are you so gloomy?" She noticed her friend's condition, "…and shaky?"

Leslie's the only one person he could trust with what really happens in his life. "I'm exhausted, Leslie! Me doing chores again, 'cause of May Belle, my dad yelling at me, you not at- I thought you're always ahead of me when we go to Terabithia on Saturdays!"

"_Always_, but not _all the time_, you idiot," Leslie laughed, "I'm not a robot, you know." Then she mockingly made robot sounds and robot body gestures.

It killed Jess. Still, she thought it wasn't enough to wipe the convex shape off his lips. So she invited him inside. After handing him a glass of water, she called her parents, who were brainstorming together for another idea of a good novel.

"Mom! Dad! Jess is here!" she cried for a second time.

Leslie's mom, Judy, was the first to step downstairs, holding a pen and a paper, followed by Bill, Leslie's dad, with both empty mugs in his hands.

Judy was the first to speak, "Hi, Jess! How are you?"

Another pleasant sound helped Jess muster his courage to show the truth of his horrible day.

Bill placed the mugs on the two costars on the coffee table and held Jess on his shoulder, "I'm very sorry about your day." Then an idea came to Bill's head, "You know, when our Little Leslie's having a bad day, my wife and I always sang this special song to her. We'd also dance to it," he gave a slight chuckle.

"It's called, 'My Favorite Things'," Judy continued, "Oh I remembered the last time we watched the Broadway show in New York. The characters, the story, the performance-all so compelling!" She sighed happily.

Bill clasped his hands together, "Well, Leslie, we shouldn't keep your friend's bad mood waiting! Let's bring the phonograph." He and Leslie started running to their basement, leaving Jess with a confused look.

"I'll go get the record!" Judy ran upstairs, humming the mentioned song.

* * *

Up until Leslie and her father brought the phonograph into the living room, Jess had a moment of comfortable silence. His mood slowly brightened at the sight of Leslie… well, the Burke family in general. They always seem to be in a happy mood. How he wished his family was like them. Back home, before he met Leslie, he had to face his everyday problems all by himself. His dad, constantly angry with him and ordering him to do chores, his older sisters always bickering, when he gets home from school, his younger sisters endlessly asking him questions, with only one word popping into his mind: "Blah." The sound of the wheels quickly ended his reminiscence.

* * *

"Jess," Leslie called, "Look what we've got!"

"Wow! It looks really… old."

Bill laughed, "My dad bought it for me thirty years ago! Once in a while, he played records from Harlem and he joked about how the people from there played such wonderful music."

Judy came down with a record and cried in a musical tone, "I have it!"

"Wonderful, honey!" Bill turned back to Jess, "Ready to turn that face upside down?"

"I- Yes sir!" He responded attentively.

"Oh Jess… call me Bill. I'm not going to hurt you or anything, silly." He knocked the stiffness off Jess' shoulders with a light punch.

"Let's play the song already!" Leslie couldn't wait any longer. Judy acquiesced to her daughter's wish and played the old phonograph along with the record.

In a few seconds, the record emitted a young, energetic woman's voice.

_Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens_

_Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens_

Judy was the first to sing along. A brilliant rhythm came as well.

_Brown paper packages tied up with strings_

_These are few of my favorite things._

The Burkes started dancing when the record sounded a short instrumental. Bill sang, and so did Leslie. Jess smiled, and his tapping feet matched the song's rhythm.

_Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels_

_Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles_

_Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings_

_These are few of my favorite things._

Judy held Leslie's hands, dancing together, still with the rhythm. Bill asked for Jess' hand.

"..I don't dance well, Mr.-Bill.." Jess lowered his head shyly.

"Come on, Jess," Bill rather sounded encouraging to him, "There's just the four of us. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Jess reached his hand out to Bill's and they began dancing.

_Girls with white dresses and blue satin sashes_

_Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes_

_Silver white winters that melt into springs_

_These are few of my favorite things._

Jess' steps were out of the last stanza's patterns, but gradually recovered thanks to Bill's help.

_When the dog bites_

_When the bee stings_

_When I'm feeling sad_

_I simply remember my favorite things_

_And then I don't feel so bad!_

It was clear for Leslie and her parents that Jess was relieved from his worries. He was laughing and jubilantly dancing. Leslie took this to her advantage. She lets go of her mother's hands and asks her father to let go of Jess'. He immediately released his distracted partner.

Jess barely heard his friend's request. Leslie tried again, louder this time.

"Dance with me, Jess!"

He stopped for a moment to breathe before turning to his new partner. He held Leslie's bright red hands, fingers intertwined, still living under his illusion of happiness. The other duo did the same, except Bill's right hand was on Judy's waist, and her hand on his shoulder.

_Raindrops of roses and whiskers on kittens_

_Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens_

_Brown paper packages tied up with strings_

_These are few of my favorite things._

_Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels_

_Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles_

_Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings_

_These are few of my favorite things._

The four eventually fell under the song's magic. The old couple happily remembered their romantic pasts. Leslie smiled and giggled before Jess' same expression.

_Girls with white dresses and blue satin sashes_

_Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes_

_Silver white winters that melt into springs_

Everyone but Jess started singing again.

_These are few of my favorite things._

_When the dog bites_

_When the bee stings_

_When I'm feeling sad_

_I simply remember my favorite things_

_And then I don't feel so bad!_

Returning to reality, the four only shared one thing in their minds: laughter. It lasted for ten good seconds.

Bill spoke first, hardly breathing, "Always makes your days much better doesn't it!?"

"Yes!" The other three responded at the same time.

"Wonderful to know.." Bill let out a deep sigh. He looked at Jess, who was telling him something.

"Thank you, Mr.-Bill," he's not used to calling him by his first name, "…for everything. I'm glad Leslie has a great dad like you."

"Son," Bill placed his hand on Jess' shoulder once more, "Your own dad… he will always be the best one out of the other dads you've seen or met. Believe me," he shook him lightly, "He may not have shown it to you yet, but all you need to do is wait." He releases him, "Speaking of which, does he or any of your family know you're here?"

"They will once I go back home," Jess chuckled.

"Better not keep them waiting then." Bill raised his right hand for a man-to-man handshake, but was slightly surprised when Jess embraced him tightly.

"No way! I want a hug from Jess and dad, too!" Leslie jumped in and hugged the both of them, following Judy.

* * *

Before he started running back home, Jess turned around to wave one more goodbye to the Burke family.

"Lock the door, Les," her father instructed her before he and his wife went back upstairs. She took one more glance at Jess and stood there for a while.

* * *

After locking the door, Leslie wiped something wet from both of her eyes with her right hand.

They were tears. _Strange_, she thought, but she simply shrugged and skipped into her room, while humming to herself the last parts of the song.

_When the dog bites_

_When the bee stings.._

_When I'm feeling sad…._

* * *

(A/N): Hope you guys liked my first published work. Comments, both positive and constructive will be much appreciated! Please R&R! :D


	2. Chapter 2-1

(A/N) All right! So what I'm doing here is a two-chapter story: Chapter Two as Part 1 and Three as Part 2. The plot that I've thought for this one is quite long and I didn't want to keep those who've read my fanfic waiting. Anyhoo, enjoy Chapter 2 of the Untold Stories compilation! :)

**DISCLAIMER: The book, its plot and characters belong to Katherine Paterson. The 2007 film belongs to Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.**

* * *

Untold Stories Ch. 2: Siege of Terabithia Part 1

Another announcement of Terabithia's 2nd troll hunt was posted by the tree next to the rushing river. Sounds of running footsteps stopped abruptly when Leslie, who went straight to her and Jess' kingdom after school, noticed the large poster.

_2 Trolls heading towards Terabithia!_

_All soldiers must be armed with their best weapons._

There's a small note below the huge artwork and writing.

_Queen Leslie, PT and I'll be there with our own handcrafted swords, the best ones the Terabithians have ever seen!_

_Good luck. Nothing crushes us! - King Jess Aarons_

Leslie couldn't help but smile every time her friend uses her motto; it always reminded her of his willingness to keep his imagination open, no matter what happens to them in real life. She took the poster and entered the thicker parts of the forest. When she reached the fields surrounding the tree house, she tightly shut her eyes closed. After a moment of silence, she opened them.

* * *

The castle courtyard was filled with a huge crowd of busy Terabithians who were already notified of the upcoming battle. Soldiers lined up properly as they were given the best sets of weapons: sharp golden swords, spears, and axes, brilliantly glimmering shields and armor. Their generals discussed, argued, and planned their army formation and battle strategies.

_Everything seems to be going as planned_, Leslie was impressed, _…but they will surely fall without a leader to guide them. _And so she entered the palace and took the initiative to assemble the army and declare herself as Commander. It was thrilling for her; this was the first time the kingdom has seen a battle with an army. What's more, a female was leading it.

* * *

Then, she heard footsteps and grunts below her along with a continuous panting. In her excitement, she immediately went outside and waved at Jess, who was holding two finely carved sticks with his right hand, and PT, who was clinging to his shoulders.

"Hurry up, Jess! You're such a slowpoke!" She offered her hand to him once it was possible and pulled him up while laughing.

"At least you didn't have to drag your wandering dog here," Jess was sweating lightly, but he was still tired nonetheless, "I nearly lost him when he rushed into the street! It was exhausting!"

"Is that so?" She took PT from his shirt and scolded him, "You bad dog! Making the poor King tired!" The prince whined with an understanding.

Jess chuckled, "Well, anyway," he showed Leslie the two sticks, "Look what I've got!"

She gasped, "Oh my goodness! They look wonderful!" She was amazed by the detailed carvings, "Did you really make them by yourself?"

"Yeah. I used some of my dad's tools in the greenhouse and worked on them all night. You should have seen the look on his face when he found out!"

"You just love making your dad angry at you all the time huh?"

"Not _all_ the time. Just… the times when he's unreasonably angry at me."

She looked at the sticks again, "This is really cool and all, but just promise me you won't get yourself in trouble again."

"All right.. All right. I promise."

"Okay," Her expression turned quite serious, "I have the army assembled, King Jess. They are ready for the hunt."

Jess, Leslie, and PT then hurried to the courtyard where the soldiers await for their presence. Millions have gathered.

* * *

"Whoa! I never knew our army would be _this _big!" He was awed by the massive army that occupied most of the area, "How'd you gather something like this?!"

"With this!" She pointed at her own head. "It's that easy, Jess. Besides, with me as their Commander-"

Jess cut her just after hearing the word, "Commander", "W-w-wait… you're Commander?"

"Yeah. Why? Something wrong about it?"

"Actually, yes," he turned his whole body, facing Leslie, "Aren't kings the ones supposed to lead the-"

"Jess. I thought you were past sexism!" Her mood changed sourly, which surprised Jess, "Can't you just accept the fact that some women can do a better job at something than some men do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He gave her a confused look.

"It means that I'm more fitting to lead Terabithia's army than you." She decided to become blunt with him.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am. And I can prove it to you, if I have to. In a duel!" She stole one of Jess swords out of his hand unexpectedly.

"_You're_ challenging me in a sword fight?"

"If it means to persuade you that queens can be leaders, too!"

He scoffed, while arming himself with the other sword, "Okay, bring it on! Let's do it here where the Terabithians can see you humiliate yourself."

She responded with a smirk and told PT to stay back. The dog immediately entered the silent crowd and watched the two great leaders fight for the Commander's position.

* * *

"Let the duel begin!" She prepared her fighting stance and so did Jess. Pressure settled into both of them. They both haven't learned each other's skill in dueling. Neither of them made the first move for about half a minute. Then, fueled with sudden courage, she attempts to strike his knee.

Leslie missed; Jess took two steps back to dodge her attack and followed up with a thrust

Towards her upper chest. She easily evaded his attack and landed a quick hit on his waist.

"Ow! That was cheap!" Jess cried.

Leslie laughed, "At least I know my way around a sword better than you." She was now more determined than before. She waited for Jess' next move so she can counter him again with a quick slash. He attempted to attack her again by striking her shoulder, which she easily blocked. She was able to hit him again with another quick counter. This frustrated him, leaving his vulnerability exposed to his adversary. He threw a series of aggressive strikes towards her, all of them avoided. His last horizontal slash was parried before she flicked her weapon diagonally to the left. He was about to swing his right arm when he noticed his sword was out of his grasp. He turned around and found his sword laying on the ground, five feet away from him. He turned back only to see the match's decision. Leslie pointed her sword's tip towards his throat; the Mighty King Jess Aarons has lost to Queen Leslie Burke in a duel, viewed by the Terabithian army.

* * *

Leslie slapped him twice lightly on the cheek with her sword, "Looks like I win this fight, Jess."

The shocked Jess frowned at her, then sprinted back to the tree house and slammed the door behind him.

"Jess, come back," She followed him, "…Darn it!" Before climbing the tree, she felt something dragging her pants. It was PT, displaying sadness in his eyes.

"Aw… Come here boy," she held the dog gently, "Jess is just being such a sore loser. Let's get him down. Terabithia still needs him after all."

* * *

Jess was sitting in the corner, pouting, when he heard Leslie's grunts from the tree. He went outside to secure his privacy.

"I'm not playing with you right now, Leslie!"

"Jess, come on!" She was in her unusual demanding voice whilst climbing with PT, "You're not very reasonable here."

"You already got what you asked for! What else do you want from me?"

"Be part of the big Terabithian battle! My-" she bit her lip, looking for another word to hopefully convince him more, "_Our _army still needs you, you know."

"Why do they need someone who just lost a fight to a girl?"

After hearing that, she was nearly just as exhausted from climbing as talking to him. She finally reached the top.

"Does it really matter if a boy lost to a girl, or vice-versa?" She put the panting PT down. "Jess, it's not fun if I have to do stuff here in Terabithia all by myself or only with PT." She took a deep breath before she continued, "In fact, I never had to do that at all, thanks to you. I'd be bored to death for sure if that ever happened! You don't want that, do you?"

Jess shook his head, "No. I.. of course not. I don't want you to come here without me.."

Leslie smiled, "And neither do I if the other way around." She looked down at the ladder for a second, then back at him, "Now, come! The Terabithians need me, too, you know."

Seeing her brilliant smile urged him to apologize to her. "Wait! Leslie I-"

She was about to climb down when she heard him. "What?" Her tone made her eagerness to begin their kingdom's defense clear to him.

"I-I'm sorry for being such a big jerk to you and-" He was interrupted by her swift, unexpected embrace.

"'Kay, you're forgiven. Now let's go!" She hurriedly began her descent, but noticed something missing on her chest, "Oh, yeah, take PT with you. He's _now_ your responsibility!" She giggled after saying that.

Jess stood for a while to figure out the glowing warmth from his cheeks. He was blushing.

_This is the second time she hugged me… Do you think she…_

PT shot multiple barks at him, which snapped him out of his thoughts.

"All right! All right! Let's go down." He laughed while carrying PT and placed him by his right shoulder before meeting Leslie and the Terabithian army at the courtyard.

* * *

(A/N) Please remember that reviews are always welcome...

BTW, wish me luck at my SAT tomorrow! I haven't studied as much as I planned to, since I was too preoccupied finalizing this chapter. :P

-Ser-A-Man


	3. Chapter 2-2

(A/N): For those who have read and expected for the upcoming action that, I said, will be here in my next update, I'm going to have to say: I give you my deepest apologies... :( I know I've vowed to finish this part and I've broken it. The time I spent between making my fanfic and school isn't well-balanced now and that problem may cost me my grade in the college course, English 101.

Once again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Please, enjoy the prelude of the upcoming battle for Terabithia, and always know that I accept any feedback you can offer me! :)

**DISCLAIMER: The book, its plot and characters belong to Katherine Paterson. The 2007 film belongs to Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.**

* * *

Untold Stories Ch. 3: Siege of Terabithia Part 2

The rattling of rocks lost Leslie's concentration on practicing her swordplay.

"I got the rocks that you asked for, Leslie!" Jess dropped the box. It shook the floor they're stepping on.

"Oh, my! This box looks heavy!" Leslie gasped when she looked at it. "How'd you get up here on your own while carrying it!?"

Jess chuckled at her astonishment, "It's not that hard…" he showed her the string attached on top of the box. "With this string, I can climb the tree house while holding the box."

"Trying to look tougher than me to make up for the duel you lost, huh?" she teased him.

"That'll only happen once."

"We'll see about that, my King," she playfully gave him a slight nudge on the shoulder as she walked past him, "Come on! Let's now declare war on the two invaders!" she quickly climbed down the tree house.

_God, she's that excited! _He shook his head.

* * *

While slowly descending from the house, Jess started to embrace his thoughts of spending time with his friend than those of the troll hunt that he, himself, posted. His daydreaming abruptly stopped when his jacket pocket got stuck on the tree branch.

_Great… _he thought, _All the time. Whenever I think of something nice, this happens._

He was now halfway of his descent. He struggled to remove the sleeves from his arms, but little did he know his hands weren't holding the tree. His attempt was successful; he stripped himself off the jacket. Suddenly-

"Ahhh! Oof!" Jess landed on the rough, grassless patch of the ground, flat. He groaned in pain. He remained there, in his place, for a while when he heard Leslie's voice.

"Jess!" Leslie cried while running towards him, "You okay!?"

Jess turned his body and reached for her right hand with his. She helped him up naturally.

Bark! Bark! PT came with Leslie, happily waggling his tail. Jess thought the dog barked at him for his idiocy.

"Ow…" Jess rubbed his neck, "I took a really hard fall."

"Obviously! What happened, Jess!?" Leslie surely was worried, "You've climbed up and down this tree without any problem… why now?"

"My jacket got stuck," Jess said, his head quite lowering in embarrassment, "and then… I fell."

Leslie sighed and tilted her head to get to Jess' level, "At least you're still fine. I would've called an ambulance if you didn't turn around…" She looked right and muttered, "Idiot…"

"What?"

"Nothing!" She quickly looked back at Jess, smirking.

"Huh…" Knowing Leslie, she'd never tell him anything she didn't want him to hear, no matter how much he would beg. He simply said nothing to drop the subject.

"Anyways," she continued, "we won't be able to start the defense of Terabithia without both the king and queen's word, you know."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go meet our subjects."

* * *

Back at the courtyard, the Terabithian army seemed prepared and eager for the upcoming battle. Jess was very curious on how the soldiers would fight under the command of a girl.

Leslie unsheathed her sword, letting it glisten in front of the sun. "Jess, draw your weapon," she whispered.

Jess nodded and drew his, and directly faced it to the sun's rays as well.

Waters of pride showered the two as they raised their swords high in the air; PT sat humbly between them.

_We, Terabithians, have sworn_

_To protect our land from the forces of evil_

_We will stand as one,_

_And will fight to our last breath!_

_Let the enemy come,_

_For they shall not forget that_

_Nothing Crushes Us!_

Terabithia has now declared war against the invaders, who were standing at the distance as dark figures.

* * *

(A/N): So, hope you guys enjoyed the prelude, and ,once more, I am sorry.

Good night!

-Ser-A-Man


	4. Chapter 2-3

(A/N): Hello, readers. Here's the last part of Chapter 2, which will be the last chapter of my "Untold Stories" compilation. I won't be posting more stories for a long time, because I've brainstormed an idea for my long BtT fanfic.

Hope you guys enjoy the ending of this chapter! :)

******DISCLAIMER: The book, its plot and characters belong to Katherine Paterson. The 2007 film belongs to Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.**

* * *

Untold Stories Ch. 2: Siege of Terabithia Part 3

The trembling noises coming toward the courtyard slowly and rhythmically grows louder and louder. The sounds were terrifying even for Jess. The earth below their feet eventually began to shake and the small plants beside him vibrated.

The growing fear within him, and probably Leslie, however, didn't affect their curiosity for witnessing the creature closer. They both took small steps near the Terabithian army, but when the soldiers swiftly armed themselves of unlimited choice of weapons and shields, they stopped. The dark figure has finally appeared itself and the sun below it revealed its true form.

Before the castle courtyard is a ferocious brown giant troll. Through its eyes, Jess could almost instantly tell it wouldn't hesitate to make its first move early once a fierce battle starts… and he was right about it.

With both its uncontrolled spirit and nature, the large creature roared and madly dashed towards the two rulers while easily slipping past the army vigilantly covering them.

They both immediately turned back for the tree house in response to Leslie's cry. "Run!"

Leslie, as usual, quickly outran Jess, which left him feel more uncomfortable in their situation, but didn't once look back, even after a sudden but violent shaking of the ground, fearing that he might separate from her.

* * *

Fortune was on Jess and Leslie's side for now; before it could recover from the missed blow towards Jess, multiple Terabithians swarmed the powerful troll and scratched it with a flurry of slashes and thrusts from their swords, spears and bows, giving both of the runners a good start. The army's offensive tactic, however, furthered the troll's anger and frustration which imbued its massive strength. Whether because their numbers were too low or their attacks were not very effective, the soldiers halted their attack and swiftly flew away from the overwhelming frenzy.

A cry of rage soared through the cloudy sky. Before the troll were the rustling trees, shaken in fear. Whatever dust that remained during the fray dissipated out of the courtyard completely; fury on its eyes only focused on the only thing standing proudly in before it from afar, the tree house. Hot fumes shot from both of its nostrils as the angry creature also saw its two targets who were climbing up the tree. Using both hands and feet, the troll trotted, making every fist and footstep intimidating for the empty ground.

* * *

Jess could feel most of his adrenaline rushing through him while climbing up to their sanctuary. His heart pumped as fast as a wild stallion running freely in a green meadow. PT, who jumped inside his jacket, whimpered and barked loudly. The frightening sounds behind him grew stronger and faster, and the sight of his shadow being consumed by the troll's larger one scared him even further. He gritted his teeth and looked up at Leslie whose hands are trying to reach for his and the dog.

"You're almost there, Jess. C'mon!" called Leslie, though he barely heard her.

Their hands met firmly when he was more than three-fourths of his ascent, PT quickly slipped out of his jacket and galloped inside the tree house. Once he reached the top, the violent wind from the giant's missed swipe pushed Jess further. His face would've collide with the wall's, knocking him unconscious, if Leslie didn't tightly grasp his jacket sleeve.

"Whoa-" Jess commented, eyes wide open, "…that was so close."

They both turned around to face the fearsome creature, only to see themselves cornered; its size unmistakably outmatched that of their house.

"The rocks!" Leslie spoke first, though Jess was about to suggest the same thing; the box full of rocks brought not too long ago. She entered the house before him, whom she had to drag forcefully towards herself by the time the giant swung its right fist again, causing them to fall to the ground side by side.

"Jess, you're not being helpful by making me save your slow butt," Leslie said as she quickly recovered and helped him up. "Twice…" she added.

"Sorry… H-he was just scary. Well, a little." Jess didn't completely confess his fear of their adversary, so he won't embarrass himself that much.

"You're the _King _of Terabithia, for crying out loud!" she laughed and handed him the box inside the house. "We can beat this thing. We can beat anything the Dark Master throws at us!" She then immediately headed outside.

"Easy for you to say," Jess muttered and followed her.

"Alright, Jess, give him all you've got!" She took the first stone and lobbed it with a loud grunt, hitting the troll's head. The giant growled in fury.

"It's working…" Leslie said excitedly, "…keep throwing stones at his head!"

The knowledge of the giant's weakness slowly helped Jess . He exerted almost all of his strength into his throwing right hand, continuously tossing many rocks to the creature's head along with Leslie.

Leslie continued, "I told you we can beat it! Nothing crushes us!"

"Yeah," Jess agreed, then faced the giant's direction again and taunted, while hurling rocks at his enemy. "…Yeah. Go away, you freak! We don't want you here! Get your ugly face out of our forest!" Leslie giggled. The excitement he's getting from each taunt and lob of the stones was invigorating.

The troll, however, had its sense of power drained from the multiple number of thrown rocks. Each hit felt intensely painful that it groaned. Its hands kept wiping the eventually bleeding head. Horror consumed the poor creature as it noticed its fingers slightly smeared in red. Finally, one of Leslie's rocks directly stroke its third eye, forcing its whole body to meet the ground, which fiercely shook the earth once more.

The bushes responded to the troll's fall by summoning the Terabithian army lying in ambush, holding a magically imbued, binding rope. Sensing inevitable defeat, the troll didn't bother move at the sight of the swarming soldiers. The noises coming from them stopped after a few seconds; the mighty fearsome giant was bound in chains.

* * *

"We actually did it- we beat him!" Jess cheered, raising his hands in the air. Leslie did the same.

"What'd I tell you?" she smiled, "If we can win against one troll, we're definitely not going to lose to this one!"

"Yeah…" Jess looked back at the creature, but the feeling of victory lessened a little from what he saw at its eyes.

The raging fire within it grew dim, and eventually left them. It was replaced with one of a darker light. It was not anger, but rather grief. The newborn fire, followed by the troll's moans of agony, bloomed quicker than its fellow flame of ire.

In his heart, Jess wanted to release the giant away, but the terror was still fresh in his mind…

"Let's release the poor thing." Leslie began descending from the tree house.

Jess felt uneasy while heading down as well, "Uh… That's a little suicidal for the both of us, don't ya think?"

Leslie said softly, "C'mon. I mean I think it learned a really good lesson not to mess with us."

"As you wish, my queen," Jess sighed. She chuckled at his response.

After planting one foot to the ground below her, her voice violently changed, "Terabithians, free him from the magic rope's binds!" The warriors swiftly began swarming again. After a few seconds, the giant was freed from its chains.

Much to his surprise, Jess didn't sense any threat from it as it began to stand up.

It just wiped something that looked like tears from its cheeks with its fingers, then turned to its natural habitat and dashed towards that direction, using both hands and feet, and was never seen again after the trees' dark shadows consumed it.

* * *

"Glad that's over…" Jess sat next to the ladder.

"That troll was more challenging than the one we last saw. And a lot more aggressive, too." Leslie stretched her arms forward and swung them playfully. "And more exciting… or at least would've been if you weren't such a scaredy cat."

"Didn't you see how _powerful _and _fast _that ugly troll is? It could knock either the two of us with one punch!" Jess shuddered at the thought.

"You were that terrified?" Leslie sat down on the ladder's side opposite to Jess.

"I…" Jess tried thinking of another subject, but decided maybe it was better for her to know and sighed, "Yes…" He shamefully looked down.

"I'm only kidding about the 'scaredy cat' part. It's okay for kings to get scared…" Leslie stared up at a typical cloudy sky, smiling. He didn't know why she was smiling, nor what was so interesting about it.

"I guess, but… did you have fun, though?" Jess asked nervously.

"Why wouldn't I? Best part of being in here is, well, you being in here, too."

Jess could hear her voice echoing through the forest, a very loud one.

"You heard it too, huh?" Leslie noticed him looking back forward.

"Yeah," he nodded, "we're just talking at the same volume and yours just happen to echo."

"Funny how this ancient forest works." Leslie excitingly stood back up and cried, "ECHO!" Her voice called back to her and the kingdom from the sky, and a really loud one that is.

"Try it, Jess, it's fun!" she hurriedly put him on his feet.

"All right, all right," Jess chuckled. Then he inhaled a huge amount of air and shouted after placing his hands between his mouth and cheeks, "ECHO!" His voice called back, though a lot weaker than Leslie's.

"Weak…." Leslie commented.

"Maybe the forest favors the queen more."

"That's not true. It likes us equally," Leslie turned back to the sky above them and shouted again, "Isn't that right!?" Again, her voice was able to reach the heavens, unlike Jess'.

The forest, this time, responded with the sky. It summoned strong winds and leaves from its tallest trees and made them split and flow in several directions. After awhile, they met and danced in unison between the two rulers. They swung gracefully in an arc, passing through Leslie's hair and towards Jess. When she turned to him and gave him that familiar, radiant smile, Jess found himself wrapped in their both warm and cool embrace, then slowly released by the same forces that eventually rose up to the sky before vanishing from his sight.

Jess gently touched his hair with both hands; he knew it became messy, even more so when Leslie laughed loudly at him. He returned her reaction, which lasted for some time.

"…Thanks." He said. The forest has agreed with her.

* * *

Silence fell, though it was short. Another sound echoed the forest. Rhythmic chimes came, followed by the vocals of a choir of young maidens. Jess' ears were enthralled by the beauty of the music.

"Quite the beautiful sound, right?" Jess smiled.

"I think so, but it's also odd." Leslie looked around, probably for any means of the music's source. Then, she suddenly gasped.

"Jess, watch out! They're sirens!"

"Sirens?"

"Yeah!" Leslie nodded, "Other servants of the Dark Master who lure unawares into great peril. There must be-"

"Leslie, the Terabithians!" Jess cut her, pointing at the ill luck that befell her army. The soldiers remained still at their current positions without any reaction from the music at all, not even a sound from any of them, as if dead. They were paralyzed.

Leslie rushed to and circled around them. She now just realized it, too, "The sirens' music must've cast a spell on these warriors." She unsheathed her sword and turned to Jess, "Look for the source, Jess! Take PT with you."

"Got it-" Jess paused. He nearly forgot there were two trolls; the other troll mysteriously disappeared after the first one rushed towards the army earlier. "But what about you? The other troll might attack you and…"

"Jess, I know," Leslie quickly responded as she headed towards the ladder, "But I can't leave my soldiers like this… You go. I'll be fine, the army's my responsibility, anyway." She smiled.

Jess smiled back and held PT, whom Leslie brought from the tree house. Before he dropped PT and ran into the other side of the forest with him, he said to her from a distance, "Be careful," which was not returned with any reply.

_She'll be fine… I was wrong to doubt that she could lead the Terabithian warriors. Why should I be worried about her… _He shook his head.

* * *

Before he noticed, Jess was already lost in the thicker, quieter parts of the forest, yet the soothing music coming through his ears are as loud as they were when he was in the tree house with Leslie. PT sniffed ahead of him while waggling his tail happily. Suddenly, he barked fiercely and galloped towards the largest tree around their surroundings.

Jess followed without hesitation. "PT, what's the matter? PT-" the young dog quickly dashed away from him.

"PT! PT!" Jess' chase went on longer than he thought. After about half a minute, he finally caught up to the dog. "What's the matter with you, boy?" he held him into his arms while taking deep breaths.

When Jess looked up, he saw a small, floating, bright-violet bell in front of him that was conjuring chimes and the supposedly vocals from a choir of maidens.

He set down PT and petted him for the good hunting. The dog panted in response. "Looks like this is the source of the siren's music." He held the bell, looking for any resemblance related to the dark master's features. "Doesn't seem like anything an evil being like the _Dark Master_ would use."

The music from the bell attracted him more while it was in his grasp. He quickly reconsidered his decision of destroying the delicate item. However, PT threw angry barks at him, snapping him out of the acknowledged bell's spell.

Jess quickly dropped the bell to the ground below him, though it drained most of his strength to resist. He drew his sword and smashed the bell in pieces. The sirens' call was no more.

On the way back to the tree house, Jess felt very excited telling Leslie the good news. He smiled widely and thought that this feat, without a doubt, would impress her. The idea vanished for a second as soon as they reached their destination.

* * *

The whole Terabithian army was in a state of chaos. The swarming concealed another giant creature similar to the one last met, but Jess' heart pumped in greater fear at what he saw once it drove last of the warriors out of the way.

Its face was completely shrouded in black, and the body was covered in wet, fall leaves. The roar didn't show any anger, but it still frightened both Jess and PT. Underneath the abomination was the unconscious Leslie Burke without her weapon.

"LESLIE!" Jess cried as he immediately tried coming to her rescue, but the creature's quick swipe sent him to the tree house, bashing his back to its sturdy trunk. Flat on the ground, his vision blurred from the impact of the collision and his hearing became disoriented; He could barely hear PT's barks that were usually loud.

"Owww-" Jess struggled to get up, clinging on the tree trunk and covering his ear with his left hand to block the ringing noise. Nothing was on his mind now other than his desperation to save her; he breathed slowly and heavily to prevent himself from accidentally walking away from her. He eventually regained balance, but his view grew darker; he looked up and saw the horrible creature up close again. The end seemed closer to him when it raised both of its fists, ready to slam him out of his misery.

Whoosh! Two of the remaining warriors charged the unaware troll with their lances, and slid its attack sideways. Jess sighed in relief before continuing to reach Leslie. A hint of hope seeped into him when he finally did. He and PT dragged her body and hid themselves out of the troll's sight; he hated himself for not being strong enough to carry her like how his dad does to his mom when he was rarely in his good mood.

"Leslie! Leslie! Wake up!" Jess shouted at her face while tightly grasping her shoulders, "Oh, Dear Lord! Please!"

"Jess… " he thought heard her quiet voice, but quickly disbelieved it and continued shouting.

"Jess!" Leslie shouted back; now it was real to him. He began ridiculing himself for what just happened.

"You overreact over things you shouldn't be worried about, my king." Leslie laughed and playfully knocked Jess' forehead. PT panted with joy.

"Sorry… It just looked so real…" Jess released her.

Leslie stood up and pulled Jess up to her level, "It's called playing possum. Survivalists do this sort of thing to prevent huge bears from actually hurting you… or worse. Pretty cool, huh?" She slightly smiled the same radiant smile in front of him.

"Creepy if you ask me," Jess frowned.

"I could teach you how to do it as soon as-" the tree behind the three of them timbered and shook the earth. Leslie muttered, "-as… we defeat… the…" the fallen tree revealed the black, horror troll.

"Any more brilliant ideas, Leslie?" Jess panicked; he didn't mean to sound sarcastic, but he thought she did.

"I don't know…"

As the huge creature closed in to the two, a small, visible thin air flew through its right arm. Then another one came past its left waist, followed by a third one on the top of its head. It growled at the sight of the constantly glowing and heating body parts. Behind it was a small part of the sun's brilliantly shining rays.

"Leslie, look!" Jess pointed at what could be the creature's weakness. "The sun is its weakness!"

"You're right. It is!" Leslie grinned. "We need the shields of the Terabithians! They'll come in handy."

They both ran in between the moaning troll's legs and managed to slip past it. Then Leslie shouted, "Warriors! Reflect the sunlight towards the troll! Its weakness is sunlight!"

At response to their commander's order, the army swiftly recovered from their earlier battle and armed themselves with clear shields.

Caught unaware, the evil creature was immediately enveloped in reflected sunlight. It was too much to bear; the shields were nearly as radiant as the sun itself, perhaps a little too bright, that they slowly cause the troll to shrink. The very ground below didn't seem eager to grasp it, but it did its job, nevertheless. In time, Jess and Leslie could hear its last moaning of pain, but to them, it was the sound of victory!

* * *

"First, really aggressive trolls, then really… weird ones… This is the last time we'll do troll hunting for now…" Jess said, exhausted on their way home.

"Aww… why?" Leslie asked.

"This hunt became a little too scary for me…" Jess lowered his head shyly.

"Scary?" She raised her tone heartily, "C'mon, Jess. That was, like, the best hunt we've ever done and it's because you alone thought of the idea."

"Except the part where you're in charge…" Jess said quietly.

"Well, yeah. But hey! Look at the bright side, you played a huge role even if you're not a leader. Rather, you were a…" Leslie paused. Jess wished for titles, like "hero" or "warrior" coming out of her mouth, though he knew he was neither of them.

"…life-saver." They both stopped and faced each other. Leslie continued, "Jess "life-saver" Aarons… seems fitting, right?" She asked.

"I dunno…" Jess felt his cheeks slightly turning red.

"But it's true!" Leslie insisted, "If it weren't for you, the Terabithian army and I would've been defeated by the Dark Master's most powerful soldiers."

This wasn't helping for Jess, but he knew it was true all the same.

"I think we played our roles perfectly during this troll hunt." Leslie then began her small line.

"The queen leads the Terabithians to victory and then the king marches with the character and poise of a chivalrous knight to make sure the kingdom of Terabithia stays strong and alive, no matter what happens to us…" She sighed a deep breath after she finished.

PT barked, probably for attention, as always; Leslie quickly picked up right at that. "You, too, PT!" She held him tightly in her arms, "You did such an amazing job, didn't you boy?" He responded happily while she turned to Jess again, "So what do you think?"

Words can't express how beautiful her line was to Jess, so he simply smiled widely.

* * *

"So, wanna come back to my place tomorrow or you want me to come to yours?"

"Your house." Jess replied.

"That was quick. What's wrong with yours?"

"The usual… Everyone's not getting along."

"Oh… All right. See ya." Leslie hurried to the other side of the road.

"See ya!" Jess called back.

On the way home, Jess started to feel much happier, especially about tomorrow, but guilty at the same time; he lied to her about his reason not to let her stay in his house, so he could spend time with her alone somewhere other than Terabithia.

"_Jess 'life-saver' Aarons…" _He could still hear Leslie's echoing voice inside his head.

* * *

May Belle cheerfully greeted Jess from their front porch.

"Hey, May Belle." Jess waved at her, "Let's go inside." He was about to reach the knob when his sister went ahead and did the honors for him.

"Why is your hair really messy," May Belle asked.

Jess would usually ignore her, but this time he didn't. Instead, he paused to face her. Then he placed his hand on her head, ruffled her straight hair and said, "There… now we're even."

"Jess, that was mean…" May Belle complained jokingly before closing the door.

* * *

(A/N): Before I officially, temporarily stop publishing more BtT fanfics, I would like to give big thanks to those who've finished reading this compilation (though it only had two chapters :( ).

Reviews are always welcome.

Good night!

-Ser-A-Man


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